Current photodynamic therapy systems may have limited tumour selectivity and poor energy transfer from the polymeric nanoparticles to the non-chemically linked photosensitiser, leading to low therapeutic efficacy.
Hence, our project aims to synthesise novel nanoparticles for photodynamic therapy and imaging applications. We used PFO-Ir12 (polyfluorene with iridium complexes) to successfully create one of the first single-component photosensitiser systems. Upon irradiation with light, these nanoparticles convert molecular oxygen to singlet oxygen to kill cancer cells. The closer proximity of the chemically linked polymer and photosensitiser improves energy transfer efficiency. Furthermore, nanoparticles confer greater tumour selectivity, allowing minimisation of adverse side effects.

Hui Ling SOH, 18

Kwok Ling Yi Samantha, 18

Singapore

GAME BLOX: The Next Generation of Video Games Controllers

I investigated games controllers, when I found out that the cost for controllers has skyrocketed over the past 5 years; I designed a controller which could be used with different consoles! In order to use one controller on several consoles; it needed a slot on the controller in order to have an interchangeable transmitter. I calculated that my controller could save 80% of the materials needed for manufacturing controllers which equates to 330 million kg every year! I designed it in CAD, printed it using a 3D printer, I used my PCB to test it on the consoles; it works!

Robert Saunt, 15

United Kingdom

Low Cost Bio-Adsorbent

Aquatic ecosystems support various life forms. Discharge of contaminants into water bodies is a matter of concern all over the World. Thus, the waste water released from different sources should be purified at source. This project aims to clean waste water by flowing through different layers of corn cobs like long pieces of corn cobs, small pieces of corn cobs, powdered corn cobs, activated charcoal made from corn cobs and fine sand. This is a cost-effective and simple technique. This is useful for immobilizing the contaminants in domestic and industrial effluents, and in ponds, reservoirs and water tanks.

Current last-leg vaccine transportation to remote locations requires both ice-packs and electricity which is a major problem in developing countries. I have designed and developed an Eco-friendly, "No Ice, No Electric" active refrigeration vaccine transportation system. Not only is this system unique and innovative, but more importantly it will solve the current global problem. This patent-pending system will revolutionize last-leg vaccine transportation by maintaining viable vaccines in the safe and effective temperature range of 2-8°C. I am confident that VAXXWAGON will save countless lives by providing safe and effective vaccines globally.

Anurudh Ganesan, 15

United States

Brightening up every child's future through affordable renewable energy

My project is about creating a rechargeable zinc air battery to replace expensive Li-Ion batteries currently used to store renewable energy. I discovered that an aerogel made of graphene and carbon nanotubes can improve activities of oxygen redox reactions, lowering energy loss and improving battery efficiency. Through studying various perimeters to optimize catalytic activity, I seek to make zinc air batteries more practical affordable methods to store locally generated renewable energy in developing countries. This will hopefully provide access to reliable lighting and the tools of education for more.

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that results in loss of mental function due to brain tissue deterioration, affecting 5.3 million Americans. Since no preventive methods, cures, or extremely accurate diagnostic tests have been discovered, predicting the onset of Alzheimer’s several years beforehand could enable doctors to target the disease with treatments before irreversible brain damage occurs. To address this key issue, this study created an accurate diagnostic and prognostic software tool for the detection of Alzheimer’s using resting-state functional MRI brain scans, genetic single nucleotide polymorphism data, demographic information, concentrations of critical cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, and psychometric tests.

Pravin Ravishanker, 15

United States

Evolution of Eukaryotic Ribosomes at Atomic Resolution

The history of life is strongly imprinted in extant biochemistry—particularly, the ribosome. Responsible for synthesizing essential proteins, the ribosome is the oldest macromolecular assembly of extant life and was largely formed at the time of the last universal common ancestor around 3–4 billion years ago. Recent research has shown that complex eukaryotic organisms have large ribosomes; this is due to the expansion/lengthening of ribosomal RNA (not the core itself) over evolution. Testing the 'limits' of evolution, this project investigates whether various expansion segments in the ES7 region of eukaryotic ribosomes with vastly divergent rRNA sequences actually fold the same way.

Agni Kumar, 17

United States

An investigation on the natural dye catalysed solar cleavage of gutter oil

The problem of energy crisis has been in the news a lot and scientists have long been working to seek for an alternative for fossil fuels. At the same time, tabloids are awashed with scandals about the usage of gutter oil for cooking, which will lead to cancers in the long term. Our project resolves both problems by an extraordinary and cheap way in which we convert gutter oil into hydrogen for electricity generation through photocatalytic water splitting by chlorophyll sensitized Copper(II) ion-doped Titanium Dioxide.

Ka Fai Calvin Ng, 17

Ho Tin Tovi Lam, 17

Ming Hin Wu, 16

Hong Kong (香港)

Creation of a genetic algorithm for designing an anti-Ebola drug

My project essentially involved the creation of a genetic algorithm which, starting from a collection of initial molecules, then modifies them to increase their affinity with a receptor, such as a protein whose action you want to inhibit, for pharmacological purposes. The algorithm, translated into a computer program, was first tested and then used for researching a potential cure for Ebola. Via this process I obtained two molecules that could be good candidates in the fight against the dangerous Ebola virus.

Andrea Senacheribbe, 19

Italy (Italia)

Transforming Real-time Photo/Video Device Streams into Musical Pieces

Transform virtually any sort of input (in this case, photo/video data from a webcam) into harmonic melodies and musical compositions backed by virtual instruments (guitars, pianos, etc.) in order to allow any average person become capable of composing music without undergoing the tedious learning curve behind playing an instrument.

I successfully developed nano-pattern plates with antibacterial and bactericidal ability, using Polyurethane Acrylate(PUA). PUA can be easily modified and has properties of self-replication, flexibility, biocompatibility and transparency. Surface of many insect wings, such as those of a dragonfly, is composed of sharp nano pillars to prevent germ infection. My nanosurface demonstrated superior antibacterial and bactericidal ability against colon bacillus. This nanopatterned plate can be applied in covering the surface of public facilities in an attempt to improve public sanitation, or in manufacturing the internal surface of a water purifier.

필재 장, 16

South Korea (대한민국)

An analysis of Ebola outbreaks using agent-based modelling

The aim of my project is to build a computer model of the transmission of Ebola, using agent-based modelling, and to use this model to explore how changes in behaviour could lower the transmission rate. The project explores what effect 10 different changes in behaviour could have on the model, but could easily be used to explore other changes. Modelling the transmission of a disease makes it possible to test what effects different actions might have in the real world, without having the danger of doing them in the real world.

Claire Gregg, 13

Ireland

Tracing PM2.5 --- A Novel Air Pollutant Monitoring and Forecasting System Base on Crowd-sensing

To help solve the PM2.5 pollution crisis in China, we developed a crowd-sensing system that use smartphone sensors, statistical analysis and atmospheric models to calculate the distribution pattern of PM2.5 and predict its diffusion route in a city. By the participation of citizen, our system can receive massive data and conduct analysis to obtain PM2.5 real-time distribution graph and color-graded forecasting graph. With our system, citizen can know PM2.5 level and tendency of their intimate living environment and scientists and governments can trace the origin of air pollutants.

Iron is available in plenty in the soli but because of its low solubility in water and high pH of some soils it
is not available for plants for absorption. Feeding the plants iron in the form of nano-particles of iron oxide
can enhance the rate of absorption of this nutrient. This was tested in the case of wheat and barley. It
was found that the germination rate, shoot growth and mass of plants were enhanced by at least 50%
and up to 100% by this process. This opens up an exciting avenue for boosting crop yield using nano-
technology.

Prashaant Ranganathan, 15

India (भारत)

Effect of Geographic Distance on the Variation in Gentoo Penguin Vocalizations on the Antarctic Peninsula

Gentoo penguins, Pygoscelis papua, depend on specific vocalizations for courtship and chick-rearing; therefore, examining the correlation between gentoo vocalizations and geographical locations is important for establishing whether breeding colonies could communicate with penguins in new migratory regions. The purpose of the research was to examine whether gentoo call characteristics as measured by frequency, syllable duration, and power, are different between colonies located on the Antarctic Peninsula. Gentoo penguins are an important mesopredator in the Antarctic ecosystem. Gentoo populations are a critical indicator of ecosystem health and subsequent success depends upon effective communication between breeding pairs successfully nurturing their offspring.

The ocean’s plastic pollution is dominated largely by microplastics: plastics less than 5mm in diameter. Microplastics threaten the marine environment due to their harboring of persistent organic pollutants, toxins which are harmful when concentrated in high quantities, such as on microplastics. Certain species of microorganisms, however, have the ability to biodegrade plastics in the marine environment. The aim of this project was to test three of these species in their efficiency in degrading microplastics as well as their preference for UV-pretreated microplastics. We hope this research can open a new method of commercial waste disposal by use of microorganism biodegradation.

My project connects children without access to medical services to doctors around the world by mobile smartphones and the Internet. Children in poor countries who may have heart disorders, such as rheumatic valve disease, can be properly diagnosed without physically seeing a doctor by recording and sending their heart sounds to doctors in developed countries. I have modified a stethoscope attached to an external or the main microphone of a smartphone. I developed an Android app and set up a web-server to deliver the heart sounds to doctors. People with warm hearts can use this system to help poor children.

We developed an innovative system based on heart rate analysis to prevent drowsy driving accidents. We successfully demonstrated that we could anticipate and detect the drowsiness of a driver before he actually becomes drowsy and therefore prevent a hazardous situation. We also designed and implemented a system that effectively identifies the potential for a dangerous drowsy condition and keeps drivers alert until they can safely pull off the road.

Ashton Cofer, 13

Luke Clay, 13

Julie Bray, 13

United States

Investigation and Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Superhydrophobic surfaces have many real world applications, including anti-wetting and anticorrosion. Existing methods of manufacturing superhydrophobic surfaces require materials that are not readily available, resulting in higher production costs and time. In aiming to solve this problem, we devised four easy, affordable and novel fabrication methods: Stamping, Extrusion, Roughening Low Surface Energy Material and Powder Coating. Samples were evaluated by analysing their scanning electron micrographs and average contact angles. Through this, we better understand the effectiveness of different surface structures in achieving hydrophobicity and reveal the potential we have in further simplifying existing fabrication methods.

Chih Ying Ho, 16

Grace Shen Shen, 15

Singapore

Magniwear : A Wearable Digital Binocular Microscope

This project aims to explore the possibility of creating a cheap, affordable, portable and easy to use digital microscope to improve the speed of diagnosing illnesses and to improve the efficiency of field testing.

Geeve George, 15

Chaitanya K.S, 16

India (भारत)

Increased Strength and Reduced Fatigue: Soft Upper Body Exosuit

The purpose of this project was to devise a way to positively augment a humans biological muscles. The human body has many limitations, we still are only able to carry a load based on how much weight our biological limbs can withstand. Also, nobody has the right to be physically disabled, how can people effected with stroke and people with disabilities be rehabilitated? Throughout the course of this project we analysed a humans natural bio-mechanics, devised a solution, and ran tests using EMG scanning to monitor muscle fatigue.

ULTRON is community of Artificially Intelligent Robots that can configure/assemble themselves in the best shape with stability in accordance with the situation and factors affecting them. Each robot has its own Intelligence Body which tells what do, ULTRON community interacts with each other in the octonary language and perform tasks concerning: impact on the community; best selection for the task; ULTRON RenderMachine converts any .stl file into a set of instructions for robots including for making of a shape, how many supportive robots are required etc. also crawls through the web finding the use of use shape and its aptness.

Identification of a Novel Neurotrophic Agent for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people worldwide. The purpose of my project is to identify compounds with neurotrophic activity through the inhibition of FKBP52 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. I tested many compounds and was able to identify one with especially promising results. I hope that my work will lead to advancements in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alice Zhou, 16

China (中国)

Temperature-Independent, Portable, and Rapid Field Detection of Ebola via a Silk-Derived Lateral-Flow System

Current Ebola detection methods are complex, expensive, require unbroken refrigeration from manufacture to use and up to 12 hours from testing to confirmed diagnosis. This research creates a “stable and stored at room temperature” temperature-independent Ebola Assay Card (EAC), which utilizes the stabilizing properties of silk fibroin to "break the cold chain" and allow for water-activated detection of Ebola antigens, with detection limits that are analogous to current sandwich ELISA techniques. The EAC provides rapid, inexpensive, accurate detection of Ebola viral antigens based on color change within 30 minutes in individuals prior to their becoming symptomatic and infectious.

This research develops a low-cost device for automated, portable blood diagnostics and parasite detection on a smartphone system. Rural regions lack access to expensive in-lab diagnostic equipment and trained pathologists for disease detection, leading to millions of undiagnosed cases and high parasite mortality rates. The developed artificial intelligence model utilizes machine learning to interface with a lens system attached to a phone camera, automatically identifying parasites and diseases in blood with 0.73-0.85 accuracy. The vision model was trained on CDC blood-smear datasets, and the device was tested on smears such as Chagas disease, Sickle Cell Anemia, and Whole Blood samples.

Tanay Tandon, 18

United States

Bringing genetics to the masses: The next step in genetic research.

In my project, I built laboratory equipment to conduct DNA isolation, polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis of DNA. I identified the relevant required equipment as a vortex, centrifuge, spectrophotometer, PCR, transilluminator, gel box ,power supply and gel camera, utilizing cheap and recycled components and materials. For less than $200, I designed, built and programmed where necessary, each piece of equipment. On completion, I proved the equipment's functionality by successfully conducting DNA testing and comparing results obtained to a known DNA sequence proving a Hypothesis that "Genetic testing and DNA research can be carried out simply, efficiently and cheaply".

Louis Madden, 16

Ireland

RevUP: Automatically Generating Questions from Educational Texts

The continued crafting of varied recall and application questions can be extremely time and resource intensive for teachers. That's why I built RevUP, which AUTOMATICALLY generates gap-fill multiple choice questions from online texts, such as the one below:
1. Endocrine signals generated by the hypothalamus regulate hormone secretion by the __________.
(a) posterior pituitary (b) anterior pituitary (c) thyroid gland (d) pineal gland
RevUP factors the problem of generating good questions into 3 parts:
1) Selecting topically important sentences to ask about
2) Identifying which part of the resulting sentence to choose as the gap
3) Crafting effective distractors to be part of the set of options to confuse the learner
RevUP builds upon and proposes accurate techniques spanning the fields of AI, Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing to solve each of the problems above.

Girish Kumar, 17

Singapore

Lighting the World with Different Berries: Organic Solar Cells

My project is investigates different anthocyanin-based photosensitizers from blueberry, blackberry and red raspberry in conversion efficiencies of my Organic Solar Cells (OSCs). My OSCs were at developing stages and I used my OSCs to characterize the efficiencies for the photosensitizers. I conducted pH differential method to analyze the anthocyanin content in berries. I extracted and purified the organic dye containing the photosensitizers. I measure the current and voltage output of my OSCs. My OSCs were able to produce power low magnitude. Importantly, I discovered the chelating ability of the photosensitizers is a significant factor in the efficiencies of my OSCs.

Brandon Ng, 17

Singapore

Influence of Contaminants on the Optical Properties of FeS2, a New Candidate for Photovoltaic Cells

Currently, semiconducting materials used to make photovoltaic cells are toxic, expensive, and have high defect rates. Identifying and implementing alternative, effective semiconducting photovoltaics is essential for the survival of solar power. FeS2 can transform the solar power industry: it has a suitable band gap energy level and acceptable absorption coefficients. However, it is difficult to characterize FeS2 through optical transmission methods due to poor crystal quality. This work successfully utilizes reflection measurements to characterize the band gap and defects of contaminated FeS2 in a novel, cost-effective fashion. Implementation of this work will allow for production of cheap, non-toxic photovoltaic cells.

Aakanksha Saxena, 16

United States

A Wearable Gaming aid for the Blind

I invented and built a low-cost wearable gaming aid which enables people with visual impairment and blindness to play normal video games. This gaming aid uses wearable multi- haptic feedback technology with speed and pattern modulations. The console can almost make blind access any 2d or 3d games. In this project i developed three wearable haptic feedbackers using micro vibrators. I modified and coded two video games of different genre. I built 2 prototypes and with a final design. This successfully explained the effectiveness of the aid which enables accessibility to all sort of serious video gaming to blind.

Shadab Karnachi, 14

India (भारत)

Smart Surgical Lighting System

Smart Surgical Lighting System (SSLS) allows surgeons to use touch interface to move surgical light during operations. Surgical lights are currently moved manually by assistants at surgeons’ instructions. This conventional method involves hard labor of light-movers and repeated trials until the desired point is reached. Surgeons’ job becomes harder when they have to move the light themselves. SSLS enables surgeons to move surgical lights to the desired point on the operating tables by simply touching the corresponding spot on the tablet. A tablet available during surgery can allow surgeons to access other information and work with other smart devices.

Sukwon Jeong, 19

Taejoo Kim, 17

영준 김, 17

South Korea (대한민국)

Gender Equality in the Digital Age

In light of the pressing problem of global gender-based inequities, my study sought to investigate an effective means of promoting gender equality. Targeting a young-adult population, 118 teenagers were anonymously surveyed to determine how traditional driving factors, such as gender, gender equality education, news, and digital media, compare to novel driving factors like social media in influencing gender perceptions. Results indicated that participants who were high consumers of social media, particularly as a source of entertainment, had more gender equal perceptions. With this discovery, social media can now be harnessed more effectively to foster gender equality around the world.

Ureolytic activity allows H. pylori to thrive in acidic environments and causes gastric diseases. Multiagent therapies to manage H. pylori infections are expensive and toxic. Therefore, there is a need for effective therapies targeting urease to treat H. pylori infections. My hypothesis was to test if cruciferous extracts inhibited urease activity, then there will be a decrease in pH and absorbance at 450 nm. Extracts of Broccoli and Collard greens inhibited urease activity monitored by a decrease in pH and absorbance at 450 nm. Results from this project will help evaluate the role of urease inhibitors against H. pylori infections.

Vandita Garimella, 14

United States

MyGlove: Assisting Hand Movements, Grip, and Tremor

MyGlove is a wearable glove that assists hand movements, improves grip, and detects and controls tremors. Loss of control over hand motor ability and tremor impacts many healthy people and even those with neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Cerebral Palsy, and Huntington’s disease. This restricts people from carrying out daily activities due to the inability of effectively using their hands. MyGlove helps overcome these obstacles with its developed programs, circuits, and mechanisms. MyGlove’s assist and grip functionalities initiate servos for assistance based on sensor data. MyGlove detects tremors using sensors and controls tremors using pneumatic actuators.

Surabhi Mundada, 15

United States

ArduOrbiter: Open Space, democratizing Low Earth Orbit

ArduOrbiter: Open Satellites, Open Space

Matthew Reid, 14

United Kingdom

Novel Photocatalytic Pervious Composites for Removing Multiple Classes of Toxins from Water

According to the World Health Organization, one-ninth of the global population lacks access to clean water, and 500,000 children die every year because of water related diseases. This unacceptable social injustice compelled me to find a solution to the world’s clean water problem. I synthesized a novel pervious photocatalytic composite that integrates an enhanced advanced oxidation process with filtration to remove multiple classes of toxins from water. The composite is a catalyst that uses natural sunlight and raw materials that are readily available. It has applications in point-of-use water purification systems, wastewater treatment plants, and coatings for pervious concrete pavements.

This project investigates the vaccine delivery of naturally occurring nanoparticles, in particular, those that are hollow and have the capacity to load particles for delivery to a target. While the ultimate aim of the project is to be able to deliver vaccines to humans, we have started off with fish as an initial case study to resolve vaccination issues in aquaculture by an extension. It was found that the clay-chitosan nanoparticle was the most effective overall in terms of vaccine delivery and immunization, and MSNP the least.

Chongwen Yi, 15

Swathi Nachiar Manivannan, 15

Beini Wang, 15

Singapore

Constructing a Single Camera Triangulation System for Capturing 3D Point Clouds with Color

There are currently two conventional methods to measure depth in a 3D scene: indirectly with triangulation or directly with radars, sonars, etc. Although the direct method is more accurate, the triangulation system is less expensive and more efficient / faster. Because of the widespread availability and inexpensiveness of digital cameras, triangulation has become very popular. In the technological world, robot eyes and automated cars employ triangulation, mimicking the humans and animals. The purpose of this experiment is to improve the triangulation systems in terms of relative accuracy and number of false matches to make a real-time 3D camera.

Stephanie Mui, 16

United States

Catch It On The Wing: Production of hydrogen storage material and biodiesel from chicken feathers

Our project is based on a two-reactor system for producing hydrogen storage material and biodiesel from chicken feathers. The system is made up of a pyrolysis reactor, with an afterburner chamber, that prevents any energy loss, and a biodiesel reactor. The biodiesel reactor is connected to the pyrolysis reactor in a way that the heat from pyrolysis is used for the transesterification process. When tested, carbonized chicken feathers showed good characteristics for hydrogen storage and biodiesel proved to be very good quality. If used, our system will provide a cleaner environment, better quallity fuel and a healthier future.

Anela Arifi, 18

Ilda Ismaili, 17

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina)

How nanotechnologies influence nature?

Nano products and, more specifically, nanoparticles are being used more and more in our daily life. It is a very perspective science which leads humanity further. But there is no guaranty that it is not toxic for our health and environment. In the first step of my research I have started reading earlier investigations and from these articles I obtained the hypothesis, that nanoparticles could be toxic for human health and after getting into the environment could cause the destruction of man-made system and have a hazardous impact on nature.

Laura Steponavičiūtė, 16

Lithuania (Lietuva)

Eradicating Eutrophication And Harmful Algal Blooms: Extermination Of Nitrate, Phosphate, And Alage Using New Bacteria

I found a bacterium in the starfish ‘Astropecten polyacanthus’ that removes nitrate and phosphate up to 97% from water in 10 minutes. Which is about 2.3-4.5 times more efficient compared to conventional nitrate and phosphate filtration methods. The bacterium was also available of reducing the concentration of 3 major harmful algal bloom algae down at least to 20% and completely exterminated two of them. I made a new nitrate and phosphate filter by attaching the bacterium to a filter. The filter was effective as the bacterium itself and leaved marine ecosystem unharmed. This bacterium can solve out eutrophication.

Seong Wook Woo, 17

South Korea (대한민국)

Tackling Shuffling Sequences

The World Series of Poker, an organization hosting poker tournaments with prize pools ranging into the tens of millions of dollars has a set way of shuffling their cards at every tournament. This way of shuffling has been checked to see if it is the most optimal one using mathmatical models in a simulation.

Aron van Harten, 18

Netherlands (Nederland)

Wireless Virtual Reality for Entry-Level Smartphones

We have witnessed nothing less than the birth of a new form of media – virtual reality (VR). In the recent decade, VR has been made manifest and, to an extent, available to the masses through computer-based peripherals and (slightly-less-powerful) smartphone-powered headsets; it has presented both designers and developers with a new field filled with unexplored potential.
In this project I explore a new and inexpensive approach to VR which allows entry-level smartphones to run computer-based VR experiences wirelessly through Bluetooth at relatively high-performance.

Peter He, 14

United Kingdom

Passive Dual Purpose Condensers to Provide Potable Water

In this project I have created two systems. The first is a passive atmospheric water condenser to extract water from air. The second is a novel solar still to passively convert non-potable water to potable. Neither system requires external energy or infrastructure. Enhancement techniques cool the condensers to below dewpoint resulting in condensation for up to 12.5 hr and production of water at 212 ml/hr. The solar still is a modular system, consisting of multiple evaporating basins connected to a high capacity condenser. The system converted non-potable water to potable and results indicate it is more efficient than traditional stills.

Calvin Rieder, 18

Canada

Transgenerational Inheritance of Nutritional Programming of Longevity and Reproduction after Postnatal Dietary Manipulations

Transgenerational effects on health and development from ancestral early-life nutrition have gained increased attention, because of the huge impact on biomedical research and drug discovery [1,2]. My project is to examine whether postnatal dietary manipulations influence longevity, and whether such nutritional programming may be inheritable across generations. The striking observations about transgenerational nutritional programming of longevity established the first animal model of its kind, opening up a new research direction and making it possible to work out the underlying epigenetic mechanisms, identify gene targets for drug discovery, and eventually help identify specific nutrition-based treatment strategies to combat chronic diseases.

Brian Xia, 15

United States

Studying the de-fluoridation efficiency of Chrysopogon zizanioides, Ocimum tenuiflorum and combination of two

Presence of some dissolved elements in water more than the permissible concentration can endanger human health. Fluoride is one of them, consumption of fluoridated water (&gt;1.5mg/L) lead to fluorosis which has no cure. Best technologies for defluoridation of water are of high cost.
Our research investigates the de-fluoridation efficiency of Chrysopogon zizanioides and Ocimum tenuiflorum, with an objective to:
1. Identify a sustainable, low cost, locally available, eco- friendly, household level point of use water treatment technology most suitable for rural population.
2. Determine the fluoride removal efficiency of adsorbents individually, different combinations and their renewing
3. Develop a low cost water purifying system

Manoj Chandrasekhar, 15

India (भारत)

Developing a Molecular 'Trojan Horse' for the Earlier, Minimally-Invasive Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease that gets progressively worse and therefore it is essential for an earlier diagnosis. I developed a quantum dot probe that can potentially cross the blood-brain barrier and be used as a more sensitive, non-invasive diagnostic tool for the earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's.

Krtin Nithiyanandam, 14

United Kingdom

An Automated Search for Gravitationally Lensed Quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

I report an automated method for finding and characterizing gravitationally lensed quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). SDSS DR12 data was utilized to examine the properties of target quasars and their neighbors to determine whether these two SDSS objects were images of the same quasar. The algorithm not only identified 56 lensed quasars reported in the literature but also identified 109 new high-probability candidates.

Cardiac disease is the leading cause of death in the world and responsible for 1 out of every 3 deaths in the US, more than all cancers combined. Easily accessible cardiac diagnostics are needed for patients to manage lifestyle changes, the best treatment for the disease. However, current standard diagnostics are expensive, run infrequently, lab-based, and target a single biomarker. I have developed a multi-biomarker diagnostic that is simple, rapid, ultra-low cost, and portable.

I have created a single-source positioning system - Magnetic Positioning Sphere (MPS) by obtaining the positions of an object on a spherical coordinate system. For methodology, I used Received Signal Strength (RSS) to compute the distance and Rotating Magnetic Fields to compute the angles. Throughout system development, I overcome lots of challenges to turn this imaginary concept into realistic. The observations show that the positioning accuracy and stability of this system meet the requirements of most applications. The greatest advantage of the MPS system is that it can be setup in seconds, saving lots of time and money for installation.

韋同 陳, 16

Taiwan (台灣)

Fabrication of Semi-Transparent Organic Photovoltaic Cells

The project sought to develop an organic solar cell made from polymers that could be integrated into other disciplines such as architecture. This was done through incorporating an inverted geometry with a transparent PEDOT:PSS top electrode and an ITO bottom electrode. Current-voltage statistics were measured under artificial illumination resembling solar irradiance. The measured quantum efficiencies varied but showed promise, especially in the context of other researched organic solar cells. Potential avenues of future research include tandem transparent cells intercepting multiple wavelengths and materials less afflicted by possible contamination.

Shubhom Bhattacharya, 17

United States

Transforming the "Unavoidable Waste" Into A Natural Anti-Angiogenic Agent

My aim is to use Turkish black tea waste ,which is burnt in environment, as a natural and economical agent against angiogenesis process. I determined the optimum density of tea waste extract using the MTT assay and tried the capillary tube formation assay to see the impact on HUVEC cells. I ordered the data via GraphPad software and found an important decrease of capillary development in 12 different parameters such as the number of loops, the length, perimeter and area values of tube formations.

Sema Akkurt, 16

Turkey (Türkiye)

SEAL-IT: Developing a non-invasive way to track Harbor Seals using Photo-Identification Techniques

Our project deals with the development of a photo-identification software to identify harbor seals on Long Island. Currently, the most popular method for identifying harbor seals is tagging, placing a physical marker on the animal. This is costly and invasive and we developed a photo-identification software as a non-invasive way to identify seals.

Niranjan Senthilkumar, 17

Vedaant Kukadia, 17

United States

Passive RFID Based Smart Signalization and Navigation System Designed for the visually impaired

This project aims to enable our visually impaired citizens to move independently, safely and in comfort around cities. By providing a connection between perceivable surfaces and the white stick, the project enables a more effective navigation, communication and automation compared to the existing systems.

Berker Alpöz, 16

Mustafa Emin Tos, 16

Turkey (Türkiye)

Using extremophiles to generate biomass for Martian colonies

We wanted to see how different organisms can survive in a simulated Martian environment. Then, we grew the organisms in different pHs to understand how the Martian soil pH affects the growth rate of the organisms compared to their optimal earth pH.

Rajiv Nelakanti, 15

Alexander Ivanov, 14

United States

Using the characteristics of the Lagrange point to influence the climate

The basic idea of this project is that in the Lagrange point between the Earth and the Sun there is a small asteroid, which is gradually being ground into dust. The total surface area of the particles into which it is being pulverized is millions of times greater than the surface area of the asteroid itself. This makes it possible to create a screen between the Earth and the Sun, reducing the intensity of the radiation falling to Earth, and to stop global warming. The combination of the magnetic field, which gives the pulverized material a circular direction of movement, and the electric field, which holds that material in orbit around the center of rotation, makes it possible to adjust the size of the cloud and give it stability.

Данила Кузнецов, 14

Ukraine (Україна)

An X-Ray Analysis of Dark Gamma Ray Bursts

My research investigates the phenomena of dark gamma ray bursts and studies the effect of these explosions on the chemical geography of the universe.

Sydney Marler, 15

United States

The new way to uncover adulterated goods - Identify liquid by analysis the knocking sound

If you knock on 2 bottles of different liquids, you’ll hear different sounds. We designed a device that can accurately identifies 2 liquids with the differences of the sounds. At last, we can use our device to identify the fake gasoline which is mixed with other cheap solvent. Furthermore, we can identify which kind of liquor is in the glass bottle without opening it.

Yo Hsu, 14

JING-TONG WANG, 13

Taiwan (台灣)

ALAIR (Assisted Living Autonomous Internet Robot)

ALAIR (Assisted Living Autonomous Internet Robot) is a robot designed to help my ailing grandparents. Tragically, one of my grandmothers passed away before I could put this robot into action, but her death has reinvigorated my passion for this project. ALAIR can preform the duties of an in-home nurse and is the answer to the growing elderly population. The robot has been tested with over 100 elderly residents who live on their own and received an overwhelmingly positive response.

Benjamin Hylak, 17

United States

Thermoelectric Electrochemical Cells: A Novel and Ergonomic Design

Thermoelectricity is developed from the energy differential between a surface and its ambient heat. Through the creation of nanoelectric cells, the thermoelectric generator is able to convert the difference into a viable energy source from which electrochemical cells may be supplied.

Sharon Lin, 16

United States

Cosmic-Ray Acceleration in Tycho Supernova Remnant

In the project, I study the hypothesis that young supernova remnants are capable of extreme particle acceleration. Based on the analysis of thin filaments of Tycho supernova remnant, I am able to find an evidence that Tycho’s magnetic field is amplified, which enhances its ability to accelerate cosmic rays. After a detailed analysis, for the first time, it is shown that Tycho indeed is a source of high energy cosmic rays that can, thanks to magnetic field amplification, reach energies thousand times higher than those achievable in, for example, CERN.

Michaela Brchnelova, 18

Slovakia (Slovenská republika)

A Low-Cost Smartphone-Based Pulmonary Function Analyzer

I have designed a low-cost open-source smartphone-based pulmonary function analyzer that can be used
to measure lung function and diagnose five common respiratory illnesses, including COPD and asthma. The system provides the functionality of commercial spirometers at a small fraction of their cost. The total cost of parts of my design is under $35.

Maya Varma, 16

United States

TSC (The Speeding Car)

The number of people dieing due to road accident are increasing day by day.A person dies every 25 seconds due to road accidents.Most of these die due to speeding.So a signalling system should be there telling the driver and the fellow drivers about the car which is speeding.The signalling method is the main factor impacting reaction time. Using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology and android technology we will be able to make a possible design.
The TSC program provides a near fool-proof method of reaching a timely alert to a vehicles enabling corrective action and decreasing the number of road accidents.

Chirag Bansal, 14

India (भारत)

Solar Furnace: Capturing the “TRUE” Power of the Sun

I designed a solar furnace built out of mirrors, plywood, and screws. The goal for doing this is to concentrate the useful temperature of the heat collected from the sun. I used small mirrors to reflect sunlight to a focused point and is 2 feet by 6 feet and contains 1386 one inch mirrors. This design can possibly be used to replace pool heaters and supplement the fuel usage for home water heaters. This could significantly reduce the cost of energy used by homes since hot water can be one of the most expensive portions of a home energy budget.

Tyler Mucci, 16

United States

A glove that provides physical senses to user from a robot manipulator

Physical senses play huge role in operating and exploring the world around us. Standard robot manipulator teleoperation (operated from distance by human) methods, like joysticks and keyboard lack this feature and make it difficult to control robot limbs. I aimed to create a glove that will directly translate user's hand and finger motion to a robot manipulator and let the user realistically sense shape of what the manipulator grasps. This way tasks will become easier, faster, safer and completed more effectively.

Dimitri Tskhovrebadze, 18

Georgia (საქართველო)

PROTECTIVE SHIELD AGAINST THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES BY MEANS OF NANO-MAGNETITE ADULTERATED NANOFIBER PRODUCED BY ELECTROSPINNING METHOD

Utilization of electrical and electronic devices in our daily lives has been improved as a result of the advancing technology and modern living conditions. All kinds of electrical appliances in our lives propagate electromagnetic waves. High-voltage transmission lines and base stations near our homes are also electromagnetic field sources. It is now significantly important to diminish the harm caused by the electromagnetic waves all around us for environmental and human health. Materials shielding the electromagnetic waves are being manufactured using numerous methods. The difference between our project and other studies is composing fabric layers made of nanofibers obtained from PLA (Polylactic Acid) polymer with nano-iron that conceal the electromagnetic waves added. Consequently, a nano-magnetite adulterated nanofiber layer concealing the electromagnetic waves in the ratio of 84.151% is manufactured. This study should be recognized as a pioneering study in this field.

This project aimed to compare both migration speeds and abilities of two different cell types; Dermal tissue-derived Mesenchymal stem cells’ (MSCs) and Dermal tissue-derived Epithelium cells’ (ECs) in order to determine which cell type would be more suitable to develop a new method to treat all types of dermal wounds with a cheap and effective cell spray. I was able to determine the best cell type and produce a cell spray which could be used in medical field at the end of this project.

Cem Buğra Kaboğlu, 16

Turkey (Türkiye)

Synthesis of an Electromagnetically-Controlled Corn-Starch/PVA Biopolymer Microcube for Extended and Targeted Drug Delivery

Current methods of treating tumors endanger both healthy and unhealthy cells. To remedy this, I sought to create a biocompatible drug delivery device that can be propelled throughout the body via an external magnet. The device is made of various biopolymers and iron nanoparticles for extended and targeted drug delivery, as well as increased drug capacity. I tested the water-soluble, magnetic device with doxorubicin hydrochloride and found it was able to successfully adsorb and release drugs.

Margaret Cirino, 16

United States

Water Sense

In my project I have built an automatic watering system that is run by a micro-controller controlled by a computer program that senses the moisture in soil. I wrote a program that controls the micro-controller which can then turn the pump on and off to water the plants as well as read the soil moisture level of the soil. By reading the moisture level it will then be determined by the program if the pump will be turned on. The moisture level will be determined by how wet the soil is.

Lauren McKenzie, 14

South Africa

A Photosynthetic Bio-reactor That Produces Bio-fuel From Carbon Dioxide

We developed a bio-reactor that can convert CO2 into oxygen and bio-fuel. Using the wild-type Synechococcus strain of the Synechococcaceae family, we carried out an extensive study of their impact on converting carbon dioxide into bio-fuels. Detailed experimental analysis of previous results indicated that their mutated strains can synthesize isobutanol by photosynthesis. The usage of such strains in bio-reactors could significantly assist combating the growing global warming effect and reduce the usage of fossil fuels by replacing them with bio-fuels.

Ossama Elsayed, 19

Lamis El-Sayed, 19

Mahmoud Habashy, 18

Egypt (‫مصر‬‎)

POWEROFF: An Arduino based counter using low-power dual laser tripwire system to reduce electricity wastage

There is a need for new cheap technology that counts the number of people in a room and automatically turns off lights and other powered devices when a room is vacant. My solution is an inexpensive device that accurately tracks the number of people in a room by monitoring its entrance. This small device includes two low-power laser beams shining on two photoelectric sensors. The arduino monitors the people count in the room based on the sequence in which the two photoelectric sensors get tripped. My device has been tested at a local school, a university, and a major retailer.

Rohan Deshpande, 15

United States

Ternary logic elements based on MOSFET transistors

This project examines the feasibility of applying ternary logic to modern computer systems. The main problem with IBM-style computers is the element base, and it is for precisely this reason that the project proposes the concept of the ternary logic element “OR”. I hypothesize that using ternary logic in digital electronics will make it possible to increase productivity while using the same number of elements. I believe that developing this project will have a considerable impact on the future of the electronics industry.

Алексей Тарасов, 15

Russia (Россия)

A cooling system for factories

Our project aims to eliminate the problem of acid rain. Acid rain is formed as a result of factories and mills emitting ammonia (NH3) into the atmosphere. Part of the ammonia reacts with oxygen and moisture in the atmosphere, thereby forming nitric acid. Nitric acid has an aggressive action on brick and concrete buildings, harms plants, acidifies water in reservoirs, and penetrates the soil. The consequences of acid rain are awful. It spares no one! Fish, animals and plants die, and people suffer. Acid rain has a harmful effect on all forms of life. As factories are the main cause of acid rain, we have thought about reducing nitrogen oxide emissions into the atmosphere and eliminating the phenomenon of acid rain.

Арина Сухова, 14

Анна Козырева, 13

Russia (Россия)

myCity

One day, while trying to submit a complaint to our local civic body about a broken streetlight here in Chennai, we noticed something:
Submitting civic complaints, all over India is a long and tedious process. On doing some research and meeting a few people who worked in our city’s municipal corporation, we found that handling the complaints submitted by the public is a difficult task as well. This led to us coming up with a project we call myCity. myCity is a civic complaint submission and management system, developed by us, for the cities of India!

Raghav Mecheri, 15

Kunal Agarwal, 14

India (भारत)

Purelight - an organic lamp that absorbs heavy metals from the air indoors

We offer a cheap and easy way to reduce the concentration of heavy metals in the air indoors. It can be used anywhere in the world: THE ORGANIC LAMP THAT BIOACCUMULATES HEAVY METALS FROM THE AIR INDOORS. The project consists of three phases: a) Preparatory phase: enhancing project knowledge, additional classes with physics, chemistry, and biology teachers at home; b) Investigation phase: establishing the cultivation, observations, enhancing knowledge using the bibliography, contact with universities, laboratory classes at universities and participation in teleconferences showing the course of advanced research study; c) Technical phase: building the lamp and developing a manual.

Borys Rzepa, 13

Jan Tarraro, 13

Poland (Polska)

Bot2Karot: manage your vegetable garden via your smartphone

Want to eat good home-grown vegetables but don’t have enough time? Here’s the solution: Bot2Karot, a vegetable garden managed via your smartphone and cultivated by a robot who performs the laborious tasks on your vegetable patch according to your wishes! No more plants dying for lack of water! The vegetable garden is arranged into blocks: the shape and size of your little farm is entirely customizable according to your wishes or limitations. Bot2Karot is a sustainable solution: local vegetables, water and energy savings, the benefits are numerous. Furthermore it makes gardening accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Eliott Sarrey, 14

France

Improved Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Through a Combination of Cell Segmentation and Artificial Intelligence Techniques

This research investigates the use of image-processing and machine learning for the purposes of cancer diagnosis. The main idea and methodology behind the research is to process images of normal tissues and cancerous tissues. From there, one should collect mathematical descriptors for each nucleus and cell within the images. The goal is to find out what makes cancerous tissues different from normal tissues, and whether a machine learning classifier can be trained to differentiate between the two.

Sreeram Venkatarao, 15

United States

A Novel Program to Map the Human Brain

A novel program was written in an attempt to segment and trace electron microscopy images of brain tissue. The result would be a 3-Dimensional map of a section of the brain. The program uses localized and streamlined image processing techniques rather than larger image-wide ones to achieve a faster and more accurate result than the already-existing (and currently unfeasible) programs. Hopefully, this program would eventually be able to segment and map a large portion of brain tissue in order to complete parts of the BRAIN Initiative and achieve insight into brain function and human behavior.

Christopher Lu, 17

United States

Mathematical modelling of food production patterns, Climate Change trends, and the need for CO2 stability.

MY PROJECT IS AN INVESTIGATION TO PROVE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL.
• First I analysed how grass growth patterns are expected to change as temperature increases due to Global Warming, using data recorded by scientists in the Moorepark research centre(1).
• Then I generated a mathematical model which specifically estimated dates when the mean temperature is expected to increase by 2°C, using historic temperature records, changes in atmospheric CO2 levels and sunspot patterns.
• Finally I investigated the sources of the CO2e emissions(2) responsible for Climate Change focusing especially on food production, and the challenge of controlling these.

Rose Anne O'Mahony, 16

Ireland

Reflectarray Antenna Design

Reflective array antennas are high­gain antennas with elements mounted on a flat surface to reflect specific radio waves in specified directions. Applications include usage in satellite communications, and beam scanning. Reflectarrays are advantageous for use due to their low mass, profile, and an easy fabrication and transport process. They are easy for circuitry integration and each element’s phase functions can be individually controlled. In this project, we will be focusing on designing a reflectarray with 45 x 45 elements, where we have developed a FORTRAN program and used CST MV to predict the gain pattern.

Kelly Siah, 16

Felicia Tai, 15

Singapore

EarlyDetect: Early Diagnosis of Cancer using Machine Learning

EarlyDetect is a software platform for early detection of cancer by using machine learning algorithms like Deep Learning and Artificial Neural networks. The software can currently detect various types of skin cancer, breast cancer, retinoblastoma, brain tumor and lymphoma with a high degree of accuracy.

Saarthak Sachdeva, 18

Mayank Anand, 16

India (भारत)

Design of a Landing System for Non-Global Astronomical Objects

The Project for the Design of a Landing System for Non-Global Astronomical Objects aims to design a new secure landing system for spacecraft that plan to land on asteroids that have very low gravity which prevents them being a spherical shape. If the project is applied successfully to spacecraft, I believe that it would be a more secure landing system for the future. To test the project I will use a Quadcopter, which most resembles the spacecraft in the world, and carry out my trials using similar conditions.

Metehan Emlik, 19

Turkey (Türkiye)

Automated Diagnosis of Alzheimer's

Currently, the diagnosis of Alzheimer's is a long process, with the outcome largely based on the opinion of the doctor. I wanted to address this issue by creating a tool that quickly and precisely diagnoses Alzheimer's. In this project, I used neural networks and tested out various structures, algorithms, hidden neurons, and feature sets to find the classifier that would achieve the highest accuracy when determining whether or not a patient has Alzheimer's.

Anika Cheerla, 13

United States

Trouble in Paradise: Can shell recycling help buffer the effects of ocean acidification?

This project examined whether recycling the millions of tons of carbonate based ‘shell waste’ produced each year from commercial and aquaculture catches and returning them to the ocean would help mitigate the effects of ocean acidification by stabilizing ocean pH. Results revealed increases in pH levels and decreases in shell degradation using this treatment over a 12-week period, illustrating that the calcium carbonate from the shell powder acted as an alkaline buffer. This application could be applied to marine protected areas to help mitigate local impacts of ocean acidification and help prevent the extinction of the most threatened marine organisms.

Isabella O'Brien, 13

Canada

The Hands-free Mouse - A novel assistive device for those with locomotive and developmental disabilities

This project aimed to create a low-cost, easy-to-use, portable HID Computer Mouse that did not require any hand-movement. The device can be created for approximately US$21.91 and, when tested with an optical mouse, was found to be able to perform all the same tasks. It was also found that the device could scroll faster than a scroll-wheel and had almost the same movement speed as an optical mouse. However, using the hands-free mouse was slower and more difficult to perform fine-positioning and clicking. On the whole, the project was successful and I plan to take it further in the future.

Nishanth Kumar, 16

India (भारत)

Evolutionary Analysis of Cestrum in the Antilles based on Phylogenetic Relationships and Time Axis

For my project, I created a phylogeny which analyzed a genus, Cestrum. A total of 46 species were used and with the evolutionary analysis, I found out when the species diverged to different regions. Mostly, I focused on the Antillean regions in the Americas.

Kaixin Cui, 16

United States

LFR Energy Generation System: Electrifying the Future

Thermoelectricity is today considered to be one of the promising sources of generating electricity. But this has only been used on small scale in products such as gas pipelines, in automobiles, microprocessors etc. We researched and came up with the idea of a cheap home power generation system with high power output within the reach of a common man.
Recent estimates show that around a thousand million people do not have access to electricity. Current solar panels cost almost a thousand dollars, are huge, heavy and difficult to transport. We have found a solution "Linear-Fresnel-Reflection- Thermoelectric generation system."

Solar panels are most efficient when their surface reflects the least light possible. The goal of this project is to understand how 3D nanostructures can be imparted on Gallium Nitride surfaces by photoelectrochemical etching. GaN was used because of its durability, stability and potential use in harsh environments. The independent variables included 0.3 M nitric acid or tribasic phosphate and either 2.0 or 3.0 Volts in conjunction with UV light. Results show nitric acid and 3.0 V produced the lowest spectral reflectivity with levels comparable to etched silicon.

Announcing the Regional Finalists

Standing out amongst thousands of entries, these projects are bursting with the potential to change the world. Explore the map to see the 90 Regional Finalists, and tune in on August 4th to find out which projects make the final cut.

Standing out amongst thousands of entries, these projects are bursting with the potential to change the world. Explore the projects below to see the 90 Regional Finalists, and tune in on August 4th to find out which projects make the final cut.